Mayor Brandon Johnson speaks at "State of the Swamp," countering Trump's State of the Union
As President Trump delivered his State of the Union address Tuesday night, Democratic leaders and supporters held an opposing event known as the "State of the Swamp."
Leaders and supporters at the unofficial event streamed on defiance.org included Oscar-winning actor Robert De Niro, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson.
During his speech, Johnson criticized the president's address, saying his words were "ramblings" and "incoherent phrases."
"When I heard his words and listened to his rhetoric, many of these words are just ramblings and incoherent phrases of nothing, and all I can think about is, of course, is Chicago and the working people across America," he said.
Johnson also touched on the hardships some people are facing following cuts by the Trump administration to healthcare and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.
"Instead of addressing the urgent problems of poverty and disinvestment, instead of restoring the funding he's cut from healthcare, and food assistance, instead of doing anything to address the cost of living crisis, the fact that the rent is too high and wages are far too low in this country, this president spoke of an America that does not exist for hundreds and millions of Americans across this country," Johnson said.
Johnson turned to Mr. Trump's federal immigration enforcement during "Operation Midway Blitz" last fall and the prevention the deployment of National Guard troops to the city.
"As long as I'm mayor of Chicago, we will never accept militarization of our cities," he said. "When Donald Trump describes our city as a war zone, he isn't just misrepresenting Chicago, he's undermining efforts by working class people across the country who is proving real safety is derived from investment, opportunity, collective responsibility, not intimidation nor militarization."
Chicago, along with Minneapolis and Los Angeles, faced an influx of federal agents as part of a nationwide immigration crackdown by the Trump administration.
Johnson signed an executive order last month directing members of the Chicago Police Department to investigate and document any alleged illegal activity by federal immigration agents. Police will preserve and provide evidence of felonies to the Cook County State's Attorney.
